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CONDENTI AL
CONFIDENTIAL
HKK184/1
6 APR 1979
PA
195
FM CANBERRA 057660Z APR 79
TO IMMEDIATE FCO
TELEGRAM NUMBER 193 OF 5 APRIL
INDEX
No
INFO IMMEDIATE HONG KONG (GOVERNOR AND BCARFE)
864
192YOUR TELEGRAM NUMBER 122 OF 3 APRIL: UK/AUSTRALIA AIR SERVICES
1. COUNSELLOR (ECONOMIC) DISCUSSED THIS WITH RAINBIRD (DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORT) TODAY. RAINBIRD SAID THAT HIS DEPARTMENT'S VIEW WAS
THAT AN ANNOUNCEMENT OF THE HONG KONG-AUSTRALIA FARES PACKAGE
BEFORE THE NEXT ROUND OF ASEAN-AUSTRALIAN DISCUSSIONS WOULD
EXACERBATE AUSTRALIA'S DIFFICULTIES WITH ASEAN. FOR A NUMBER OF
REASONS THE AUSTRALIANS WERE NOW PROPOSING THAT THE MEETING WITH
ASEAN SCHEDULED FOR 23 APRIL SHOULD BE DEFERRED UNTIL 30 APRIL, THOUGH THIS HAS NOT YET BEEN CONFIRMED. RAINBIRD WOULD PREFER TO
REASSESS THE POSITION IN THE LIGHT OF WHAT HAPPENS AT THE TALKS WITH
ASEAN.
2. SPEAKING IN CONFIDENCE, RAINBIRD EXPLAINED THAT MR NIXON HAD BEEN PROVOKED INTO MAKING HIS ANNOUNCEMENT ABOUT THE NEW AIR FARES
BETWEEN AUSTRALIA AND HONG KONG (HONG KONG TELEGRAM TO FCO NO 419. OF 27 MARCH), THE MINISTER REGRETS THAT HE MADE THIS ANNOUNCEMENT,
WHICH HAS PUT HIM IN A DIFFICULT POSITION. HIS OFFICIALS ARE
RECOMMENDING THAT HE SHOULD SAY NOTHING MORE ON THE SUBJECT UNTIL
AFTER THE MEETING WITH ASEAN.
TEBBIT
FILES
MAED
SPD
SEAD
HNGD
MR
CORMZZI
MISS
BROWN
MR MURRAY
SENT BY BAG BCARFE AND (GOV) HONG KONG
PIES SENT
CAD/DO7
CONFIDENTAL